Restoration of an urban wetland: Humedal Angachilla

Ecological restoration of ecosystems, Protection of natural ecosystems, Improved governance of green or blue areas

Claro de Luna was created in the 1990s as a working-class neighbourhood of Valdivia with several social housing projects emerging around it. When people arrived in Claro de Luna the unbuilt area in the front of the neighbourhood had a small forest and grassland, with the wetland hidden behind trees, and over time the land started to be treated as a dumpster by some of the residents and became an open space with no regulation, where different people could extract whatever they needed without any control or sanction from official owners. As a response, some of the residents organised themselves into a neighbourhood committee and started advocating the restoration and protection of the wetland and the surrounding areas. As such some of the goals of this intervention are: 1. To maintain the natural ecological functions that allow wildlife conservation. 2. To improve the air quality, acting as the green lungs of the city. 3. To prevent flooding, facilitating the drainage and purification of rainwater. 4. To regulate the weather, tempering on hot days or serving as barriers to the wind. 5. To provide all citizens with opportunities for education, recreation and outdoor tourism. 6. To promote the relationship between the human being and his environment and create a collective identity. 7. To convert the area into a safe one as it served as a hiding place for burglars and was prone to vandalism (1, 2,3).

The intervention happened in several stages: A local social movement called "Acción por los Cisnes" arose in 2004 after the death of thousands of black-necked swans – triggered by the operations of the Celco-Arauco wood pulp mill. Actions included several marches of over 2000 people; legal and technical assessment of environmental permits issued to the company, revealing institutional failures; and sustained pressure in public media demanding a precautionary approach to stop the operation of the mill until the company’s responsibility was clarified. In December 2007 the Claro de Luna neighbourhood committee started the first big project to protect the wetland. Different activities were developed and executed, such as community cleaning days and environmental education workshops. In 2010, the Claro de Luna neighbourhood committee launched their second big project related to wetland protection: “Restoration and conservation of the Angachilla wetland, through the creation of an Urban Natural Reserve”, sponsored by the Ministry of Environment. Activities included environmental education, recreation, seminars, reforestation, mural painting, wildlife observation benches, information points and trashcans at observation points. From 2014 to 2015, additional funds were granted to social organizations working on wetlands, two of them based on Angachilla. Starting with 2016 changes to the wetland became institutional and in 2020 the Claro de Luna neighbourhood committee is fighting to declare the area a "Sanctuary of Nature". (1,6)

• Non-government organisation/Civil Society
• Citizens or community groups
• Young people and children
• Marginalized groups: Socio-economically disadvantaged populations (e.g. low-income households, unemployed)